Reviews - Die for Me | The StoryGraph

Following on from the second book, and as somebody who has not seen the TV show, I was unfortunately disappointed with this book. I found the change from third-person to first-person really jarring, and it felt like even though no time had passed between Books 2 and 3, the characters have had completely different developments.

Eve, who I found less likable but more sympathetic, became completely unrealistic in my opinion. Villanelle acts completely out of character, and the ending does not do her justice. I missed having Villanelle's point of view, even if in the third person. She would have been a much more exciting perspective than Eve for the final chapter in this trilogy.

I think this book could have been twice the length and included so more more nuance and detail. This was a quick read and it was enjoyable, but unfortunately not believable in line with the rest of the series and how it had played out before.

torchbearer1997's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.5

booklover8989's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

lokasreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Forgetting for a moment that I still don't quite understand how Eve and Villanelle got to the point of steamy couplings, I do enjoy the way their relationship is written in this third and final installment of the series. I was worried that the book would lean too much into a dynamic that could very well be described as abusive, but Eve sets boundaries and Villanelle makes compromises. Though I can't speak to the accuracy of the relationship dynamic with a person diagnosed with ASPD, it felt realistic enough and like it wasn't pure romanticization. I do, however, wish more time could have been devoted to watching the relationship evolve like this.

I disliked the sudden shift into first-person POV. I assume it might be so we're kept in the dark, as Eve is, to Villanelle's true feelings, but this could've been accomplished by keeping the third-person POV the previous books used. I also just plain missed the insight into Villanelle's mind. Those were some of the most entertaining chapters in previous books.

There was also an attempt at nonbinary representation that felt very dry, almost like the character's constant correction of name and pronouns was inserted as comic relief at the end of a section. I would've rather the book left out the nonbinary character entirely if they weren't going to get sensitivity readers for it.

Favorite line:

"You farting all the time doesn't help."
"It does help. It's fun. Watch. Squeeze asshole, little bubbles. Relax asshole, bigger bubbles."
"Awesome."

Okay, favorite line that's more serious:

There are times when she slides into an impenetrable silence, or pushes away from me, tense with anger at some imagined slight, but mostly she's skittish and tender. She's like a cat, yawning and stretching and purring, all lean muscle and sheathed claws.